Spellcasting Gods

Euron clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing with hatred. After a full minute, he roared through gritted teeth, "Enough! I can give you the Dragon Horn! But you must swear that you'll spare me and my fleet after you get it!"

“No problem! I never intended to be your enemy. On the contrary, I wanted to cooperate with you in some deeper ways, such as looting the old town…” Zhang Cheng gave his assurance meaningfully.

"Hmph!" Euron got up from the ground with a cold face and took out a huge horn that was over 1.8 meters long from the huge wooden box next to the mast.

The horn gleamed with a black sheen and bore the distinctive stripes of Valyrian black steel in shades of red and gold. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting distorted images.

Most importantly, the horn was covered with runes that Zhang Cheng had never seen before, yet which emitted strange energy fluctuations.

Without any hesitation, he directly injected a wisp of arcane energy into it, wanting to confirm the rune's function in this way.

But just as the energy was injected!

The runes on the horn suddenly lit up, first turning fiery red, then immediately emitting a blinding white light. A tremendous roar echoed across the sea, as if thousands of souls were howling!

"Aa ...

Euron, holding the horn, let out a terrible wail. His whole body turned red as if he had been burned, and large blisters appeared in some places.

When the piercing sound stopped, a wisp of blue smoke rose from the center of the horn, enveloping the dragon that was still circling in the sky.

"Ow!!!!"

Kuro Kerba screamed and struggled desperately to break free from the smoke, but for some reason, the more he struggled, the tighter the smoke enveloped him.

Finally, it had no choice but to slowly land on the deck of the "Tranquility," and with intense anger and resentment, it knelt before the enormous "Dragon Binder," bowing its head in submission...

Chapter 0158 Preliminary Inference

"Interesting... Is this blood magic?!" Zhang Cheng muttered to himself, not entirely sure, as he bent down to check Euron's condition.

The man who had just been so tough was now on the verge of death, looking as if he had been boiled in hot water. His skin was an eerie dark red, covered with countless blisters, the largest of which was the size of a palm and filled with a shocking amount of pus and blood.

Of course, that wasn't the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was that his mouth and internal organs were also severely burned by an unknown force, constantly emitting the aroma of roasted meat.

By modern medical standards, his current condition is essentially a death sentence; even the most advanced medical technology could not save his life.

Fortunately, Zhang Cheng was not a doctor, but a mage, a mage who had mastered alchemy.

Without any hesitation, he took out a bottle of basic healing potion and poured it into the other person's mouth.

A few seconds later, Euron suddenly convulsed, sat up abruptly, and vomited violently on the deck. Only after he had emptied his stomach did he raise his head and demand angrily, "Damn it! What did you do?! Why did the Dragon Horn sound by itself when no one was blowing it?"

"Ah! Relax, my friend, it's just a trivial test. Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand, because it involves profound knowledge and skills about different kinds of energy resonance. Alright, quickly give me the Dragon Binder, and then we can start discussing the alliance." Zhang Cheng deliberately put on an arrogant tone to urge him on.

After a brief observation, he was fairly certain that the uniquely shaped horn in front of him was an absolutely powerful magical artifact, powerful enough to control all the dragons in the entire Song of Ice and Fire.

No wonder Valyria dared to let thousands of wild dragons roam freely over the city without ever worrying that they would suddenly decide to attack the city's residents or livestock.

The only drawback is that blowing the dragon's horn comes at an unimaginable price; to be precise, the person who uses it must have hot dragon blood flowing through their body.

It is obvious that the temperature of dragon blood is dozens of times higher than that of a normal human body, so even in the blink of an eye, it can cause huge burns.

As for the unprecedented runes on the horn, further research and deciphering are needed to understand their specific functions.

In fact, with the help of this enormous horn, Zhang Cheng could already deduce how far the Valyrian civilization had progressed in terms of magic. Although it could not yet compare with Dalaran, the magical kingdom of Azeroth, it was not as pathetic as it was now, with magic in many places existing only in legends.

What's even more ridiculous is that almost everyone who possesses magical power not only fails to try to understand the origin of their power, but instead becomes obsessed with idiotic prophecies.

It should be noted that among all magical systems, predicting the future is the least reliable and most susceptible to various uncertainties.

Instead of racking your brains trying to interpret what will happen in the future through obscure phenomena and images, it is better to strive to improve yourself and face dangers and difficulties with your strongest side.

"Give it to you? Hahahaha! Dream on! I've already taken control of your dragon! Die! Bastard! Kill him!" Euron grinned as he raised the Dragon Horn and shouted his command at the dragon crawling on the deck.

Kuro Kerba stared innocently with his eyes wide open, as if looking at a mentally unstable idiot.

Although the "Dragon Binder" restricted its movements, it could not control its will; it was simply unable to attack due to the power of magic.

"Have you had enough fun? If you have, hurry up and give it to me. Didn't your parents teach you never to try to control a power you don't understand?" Zhang Cheng teased with a playful expression.

As the name suggests, the true role of the "Dragon Binder" is to bind dragons and force them into submission through external force, just as humans use food to make dogs respond to commands or nose rings to tame oxen for plowing, rather than directly controlling their minds.

This means that a person using a horn can incapacitate or even kill dragons, but cannot make dragons attack their master against their will.

In addition, Zhang Cheng also signed a permanent magical contract with Kuro Kerba. As long as the contract is not terminated, he will never have to worry about being attacked by his own dragon.

However, Euron Greyjoy clearly misunderstood the power of the Dragon Horn, believing it could force dragons to obey his will, which led to a very awkward situation.

The audacious Eric, barely suppressing a laugh, suggested in a rather gloating tone, "Sir, I think this fellow should be taught a lesson, at least hung on the mast for a few days. Believe me, with the current level of sunlight, he'll be kneeling down like a dog, licking your boots and begging for your forgiveness in two days at most."

Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then quickly shook his head with a smile: "Sounds good! But the problem is, I still need this guy to do some things that are inconvenient for me to do directly. You have to understand, even if nobles want to eliminate each other immediately, they still have to abide by certain rules. Of course, if you can find a substitute, I don't mind dealing with him according to your suggestion."

“A replacement?” Eric paused for a moment, then immediately pointed to the captain of another huge warship in the distance and asked, “What do you think of that guy? If I remember correctly, his name is Victorion Greyjoy, the younger brother of Balon and Euron.”

Following the direction of his finger, Zhang Cheng quickly saw a powerful man wielding a giant axe, wearing heavy armor, and sporting a strange helmet.

At the same time, the man was also nervously watching the movements on the Serenity.

They stared at each other for four or five seconds, then Zhang Cheng quickly turned around and beheaded Youlun with a single sword stroke.

moment!

The glaring blood gushed out more than a meter high like a fountain, followed by the headless corpse falling onto the deck with a thud.

Because the whole process happened so fast, no one had time to react, especially the sailors on deck whose tongues had been cut off, who all showed expressions of disbelief.

They probably never dreamed that their fierce, brutal, and insane captain would be killed so easily.

"Sorry, my friend, you're no longer of any use to me..." Zhang Cheng took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off the sword, and muttered to Euron, who had just been devoured by the Soul-Binding Messenger, in a low voice.

Less than half a minute after Euron's death, the force binding Kuro Kerba suddenly disappeared, and freed, it quickly flapped its wings and returned to the boundless blue sky.

Chapter 0159 Victorion

"Captain! Euron is dead! That guy killed him!"

A crew member on the Invincible Ironborn loudly reminded Victorion Greyjoy.

Although his immediate desire was to turn the ship around and flee like the other ships in the fleet, he suppressed his fear and stayed behind, considering his captain's personality and his harsh treatment of traitors.

However, he was certain that if that dragon in the sky flew towards this warship, he would immediately turn around and jump into the sea. To hell with all the bullshit rules, punishments, and the Greyjoy family! He would save his life first.

In fact, he wasn't the only one who thought this way; more than 90 percent of the sailors on deck shared similar ideas.

After all, the inhabitants of the Iron Islands are not "good men and women." Having grown up in harsh environments, they are more pragmatic than the inhabitants of any other place in Westeros, and would never sacrifice their lives for so-called "noble" reasons.

Victalion Greyjoy clearly understood this as well, and thus gripped his beloved axe tightly, ready to chop off the head of anyone who dared to lead a rebellion.

Of course, he was more worried about the guy on the other side who had just killed his brother than about the crew members he was somewhat familiar with.

Especially the giant dragon that kept hovering in the sky, it was like a sharp sword hanging overhead, which could fall at any moment and destroy the entire fleet.

No captain would believe that his ship could outrun a dragon soaring through the sky.

Just as all the Iron Citizens were becoming increasingly tense, Zhang Cheng, on the deck of the "Tranquility," suddenly made a strange move and then vanished instantly.

next second!

He appeared right next to Victalion!

This man, known for his steadiness, seriousness, and dedication to his duty, instinctively raised his axe and swung it down...

Before the axe could even touch Zhang Cheng's clothes, a ball of orange-red flame spread outwards from Zhang Cheng, and the scorching heat forced Victarion back several steps, even burning off large patches of his hair, beard, and body hair.

Once the flames had completely disappeared, Zhang Cheng calmly discarded the sulfur powder he had been using to assist in casting the spell, and said with a smile, "Relax, I'm not here to kill you, but rather to reach some kind of consensus with you."

"A consensus has been reached?" Victalion frowned, a wary look in his eyes.

“That’s right! If I’m not mistaken, your target this time should be the Shield Islands and the River Bend region, right?” Zhang Cheng ignored the sailors who were holding sharp blades and looking nervous, and went straight to the point.

“Yes! What exactly do you want to do?” Viktorion was clearly more rational than Euron, and quickly realized that the other party had no intention of killing him, nor did he intend to destroy the Iron Islands’ proud fleet.

“It’s very simple. I think you can completely bypass the Shield Islands and directly launch a surprise attack on the more prosperous Old Town. As an ally, I can provide some extra assistance to ensure that you are not discovered by anyone beforehand. As long as you swear that after taking Old Town, you will kill all the direct descendants of the Hightoar family.” Zhang Cheng quickly offered his terms.

As the second most powerful family in the Reach after Tyrell, Hightoar was undoubtedly a huge obstacle for him who wanted to usurp the rule of the Reach.

Moreover, the Hightower family supports the Citadel and is determined to create a world without dragons, magic, or supernatural powers.

In a sense, he was a natural nemesis to the world, who longed for it to develop into a magical civilization.

Zhang Cheng originally planned to eliminate this major threat slowly after taking over the Tyrell family's inheritance, but now he has a new idea: to use the Ironborn's love of plunder to destroy their foundation.

Viktorion stared at the young man standing in front of him for a full minute before coldly questioning, "Since you wanted to form an alliance with me, why did you kill my brother?"

Zhang Cheng feigned helplessness and shrugged: "I'm sorry, but I think you should understand that Euron's mind isn't quite right; to be precise, he's been insane for a long time. I don't like working with a madman, especially one whose next outrageous idea you never know might pop into your head. But you're different. You're a steady and mature leader, and also a dutiful person who won't easily break your oath. Besides, I know you didn't like Euron, and even considered killing him for a while. Now that he's dead, you should be happy, because you can completely take over the power and become the new king of all the Ironborn."

“But he is my brother after all! You have to give me an explanation!” Victalion insisted with a serious expression.

"Hehe, alright, please state your conditions, but don't go too far." Zhang Cheng extended his right arm in a gesture of invitation.

After a brief moment's hesitation, Viktorion immediately pointed to the massive dragon horn on the deck of the Serenity and declared, "I want the Dragonbinder!"

"No way! Change it!" Zhang Cheng refused the other party's request without even thinking.

He wouldn't hand over a powerful magical item to an enemy who might turn against him at any moment.

Although only three dragons appear in the A Song of Ice and Fire story, who knows where in the world dragon eggs might hatch with the arrival of the Crimson Comet? If the other side finds and tames a few, that would be a real mess.

“Fine! I want Euron’s armor!” Victarion quickly changed his condition to a second one.

Clearly, he understood perfectly well that Zhang Cheng would not hand over the Dragon Horn, so he deliberately used the first condition as bait in exchange for the second condition being met.

It should be noted that Euron claimed his armor was genuine Valyrian steel armor, which, in today's terms, would be worth an entire kingdom.

It is said that those who wear Valyrian steel armor are invulnerable to blades and spears on the battlefield. Apart from the equally sharp Valyrian steel sword, even the sharpest spear cannot leave a single mark on it.

Victalion had long coveted this armor, and now that he had the chance, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

"Armor?" Zhang Cheng paused for a moment, then turned around and glanced at the corpse on the deck not far away. He immediately noticed the distinctive pattern on the armor's surface, smiled, and nodded: "No problem! Deal! It's yours."

"Really?" Viktorion could hardly believe that he had achieved his goal so easily.

"Of course it's true. I can even return Euron's body to you so you can take it back to the Iron Islands for burial..."

Chapter 0160 Looting the Old Town

Perhaps in the eyes of the original inhabitants of A Song of Ice and Fire, weapons forged from Valyrian steel are unparalleled treasures. Even great nobles like the Lannisters and Tyrells longed to have a Valyrian steel sword as a family heirloom.

As for armor, it only exists in various legends and stories; no one has ever seen what real Valyrian steel armor looks like.

Even Euron wasn't sure if the armor he found in the ruins was Valyrian steel armor; he could only make a rough judgment based on its appearance and sturdiness.